NY Sues to Dismantle Trump's Charitable Foundation

New York's attorney general says President Trump used his charitable foundation like it was his personal checkbook, including $10,000 he paid from the foundation for a painting of himself.

In People of the State of New York v. Trump, the state alleges Trump wrote a check for $100,000 to settle a zoning dispute for his Mar-a-Lago club. The attorney general is suing to recover $2.8 million in restitution and fines for years of illegal transactions.

The Trump Organization denies the allegations, but one thing seems clear. There was no collusion because Trump signed all the checks himself.

Trumps, Unlimited

Actually, Donald Trump was not the only one involved. The lawsuit also names Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric F. Trump.

That's because they all served on the board of the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which the attorney general wants to dissolve. Melania, Tiffany, and Barron Trump apparently didn't serve on the board.

According to the petition, the foundation and its members engaged in a pattern of illegal conduct. It included "improper and extensive political activity," "willful self-dealing," and "failure to follow basic fiduciary obligations" and "elementary corporate formalities."

"In sum, the investigation revealed that the foundation was little more than a checkbook for payments to not-for-profits from Mr. Trump or the Trump Organization," the lawsuit states.

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